Lubricator.



No. 772,399. PATBNTBD 00T. 18, 1904. G. W. BOWEN.

LUBRIGATQR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1903.

N0 MODEL.

Nog/72,399.

UNITED STATES Patented october 18, 1904.

GEORGE W. BOWEN, OE AUBURN, NEW YORK.

LUBRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,399, dated October18, 1904.

Application filed August 20, 1903.

To a/ZZ whom. t may con/cern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BOWEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Auburn, in the county of Cayuga and State of New York, haveinvented certain new andusefulImproveme-nts in Lubricators, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to lubricators, and has for its object to providecertain new and useful improvements in what are termed greasecups,wherein pressure is applied upon the grease or other lubricant to insurea proper feed thereof. It is furthermore designed to obviate accidentalloosening and displacement of the member which is adapted to press uponthe lubricant and in' this particular to adapt the device forapplication to motor-vehicles and in other places where there is violentjarring and great vibration.

In connection with the feature of preventing loosening of the pressuremember it is also an important object of the inventionV to provide forfacilitating the adjustment of theY pressure member.,

With these and other objects in view the present invention -consists inthe combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter morefully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularlypointed out in the appended claim, it being understood that changes inthe form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within thescope of the claim without departing from the spirit orsacriicing any ofthe advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of a lubricator embodyingthe features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinalsectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective View of thestemof the device. Fig. t is a detail perspective view of the yieldableratchet member. Fig. 5 is an inverted plan View of the cap. Fig, 6 is aninverted cross-sectional view of the stem.

Lilie characters of reference designate corresponding parts in each andevery figure of the drawings.

The embodiment of the device of the present invention as shownin theaccompanying Serial No. 170,171. (No model.)

In .detail the stem has its lower end reduced and screw-th readed, as at6, for convenience in attaching the device, while the opposite or upperlend of the stem is enlarged to form a circular or disk-shaped head 7having a screw-threaded periphery and provided in its top with adiametric groove 8 to form a screw-driver seat for,V convenience infitting the stem in place. `The intermediate portion of the stem isexternally substantially cylindrical in shape, but slightly fiattened atdiametrically opposite points, as at 9, to make the stem polygonal, ineect, for a purpose thatV will hereinafter appear. Throughout the stemextends an axial bore l0, which is reduced in diameter through thereduced lower end portion of the stem, and the upper end of the bore isflared, as at 11, to facilitate the entrance of the lubricant into thebore of the stem. t

It is designed to have the lubricant, which is preferably a greaserather than an oil, contained within the cap 2, which is internallyscrew-threaded and of a diameter to lit the head of the stem, wherebysaid head forms a bottom for the cup, and the latter is adjustable uponthe head longitudinally of the stem. By this arrangement pressure may beapplied upon the lubricant to insure an elfectivefeed thereof throughthe bore of the stem. At the top of the cup' there. is an externalannular flange 12, which is milled or otherwise roughened to afford afirm finger-grasp in turning the cup to adjust or shift the same uponthe stem. In the bottom edge of the cup are a plurality of invertedsubstantially V-shaped notches, one of which has been shown at 13 inFig. 1 of the drawings, there being, preferably, four such notches atquarter intervals around the cup.

Beneath the head 7 and slidable longitudinally upon the stem is theratchet member 3, preferably in the form of a disk having an externaldiameter at least equal to that of the cup, against the lower edge ofwhich it is normally and yieldably held by the spring 5. Thestem-opening 14 of this disk has its wall flattened at diametricallyopposite points, as at 15, to work against the at faces of the stem, andthereby prevent rotation of thedisk. In the bottom of the disk is anannular groove 16 to form a seat for the upper end of the spring, and apair of diametrically opposite studs, projections, or teeth 17 rise fromthe top of the disk and are shaped to lit the notches 13 in the bottomof the cup, thereby to form a ratchet device to prevent accidentalturning and consequent loosening of the cap upon the head otherwiseincident to the jarring and vibrating movements to which lubricators ofthe present type are subjected.

From the foregoing description it will be understood thatthe cap 2 maybe conveniently turned by hand to feed it downwardly for -upon the stemto vary the tension upon the spring, and thereby adjust the latter toexistand its opposite end provided with a circular externalscrew-threaded enlarged head, an internally-screw-threadedlubricant-containing cap adjustably embracing the head and provided withratchet-notches in its lower edge, a non-rotatable ratchet memberslidably embracing the intermediate portion of the stem and providedwith upstanding ratchet-teeth for engagement with the notches of thecap, a helical spring embracing the stem and bearing at its upper endagainst the under side of the ratchet member to yieldabl y hold thelatter in engagement with the cap, and means for varying the tension ofthe spring consisting of a nut adjustable upon and removable from thefirst-mentioned screw-threaded end of the stem and engaging the lowerend of the spring, whereby the tension of the latter may be varied by anadjustment of the nut.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inpresence of two Witnesses.

GEORGE W. BOWEN.

Witnesses:

D. E. FRENCH, F. H. WIGGINs.

